My Words, My World

First drafts – A few pages in the large wilderness of the world of writing

Archive for the month “August, 2025”

30 Aug 2025
5 Comments

99-word story: The book

He closed the door and stood with his back against it. His head thumped as the voices on the other side became muffled, as had so much recently. He crossed to the table and sat down.

The book lay flat on the table, its thick binding rising off the surface like a construction. His trembling hands paused before they stroked the cover. He took a deep breath before his fingers gripped the cover and turned.

His fingers hovered over the photograph on the first page. His head dropped as he sat, staring, and the silence pressed closer around him.

Another attempt at minimal, using Hemingway’s iceberg-theory.

The current image has no alternative text. The file name is: the-book.jpg
Posted in 99-word fiction, 99-words, dark fiction, iceberg-theory, Short Fiction Stories, words and tagged , , , , , , ,
23 Aug 2025
3 Comments

99-word story: The path ahead

I stand and wait, breathe in the wood, the damp soil and the moss on trees. The path is straight, like the paths I should have taken. Sometimes we have to meander. The trees change colour with the day’s fading light, just as we change and fade. I hear the wind in the branches but it passes me by unseen; and my hand grabs only air. I look up at the grey sky and follow the fall of the brown leaves as they pitch in the air, to and fro. I look up to see another season watching me.

This story was a challenge, laid before me by Esther Chilton (https://estherchilton.co.uk/). I couldn’t say no, even without an initial idea. The original photo was in colour, I just brought it down to the dark side. Thanks Esther, I hope you enjoy it! I’m still playing with Hemingway’s iceberg-theory.

The current image has no alternative text. The file name is: trees.jpg
Posted in 99-word fiction, 99-words, dark fiction, Flash Fiction, iceberg-theory, photo, Short Fiction Stories, Writing and tagged , , , , , ,
16 Aug 2025
2 Comments

99-word story: Leaving

The two men sat at the bar. From the other room came the rattle of a fruit machine and the clink of dishes.

Their beers stood mostly full.

The older man stared at his hands. The younger one watched the traffic pass and shrink into the distance.

“You sure you’re ready?” the older man said.

The younger man rubbed his eyes with both hands.

“It’s not me that decides. The decision’s been made. Guess I’d better get used to taking orders.”

He paused.

“I just hope I make it back.”

The older man nodded.

“Me too. Your mother especially.”

With this story, I wanted to try what Hemingway called the ‘Iceberg theory”, to see how much can be conveyed with as few words as possible. I hope I succeeded, to some degree.

The current image has no alternative text. The file name is: leaving.jpg

Posted in 99-word fiction, 99-words, atmospheric writing, creative writing, Fiction, Flash Fiction, Short Fiction Stories, Writing and tagged , , , ,

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